lundi, septembre 03, 2007

labor day

"If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play."-John Marwood Cleese (October 27, 1939 -), English comedian and actor best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for co-writing the TV series Fawlty Towers.

Happy Labor Day! While the rest of the world celebrates it on May 1 and it's a worker's holiday, in the US, we're just too uptight and suspicious of appearing to celebrate socialists, communists, and other agitators (yes, it's true) to celebrate it on the right day. I find it incredibly ironic that the rest of the world commemorates the struggle and death of American workers at the Haymarket Riots, but that the US won't celebrate on that day.

Workers' Day celebrates the struggle of activist workers executed in the aftermath of the Chicago Haymarket Riots in 1886. The riots actually took place on May 4th.

Amazingly enough, only find two industrialized western countries refuse to recognize May 1 as a workers' celebration: the US and Canada. In the US, Labor Day is traditionally recognized on the first Monday in September, a date that officially commemorates "Not The Day In Which The Haymarket Riots Took Place, Leading To Activist Workers Being Hanged For Daring To Confront Their Corporate Masters And Demand Fair Labor Practices."

In Canada, Labour Day is celebrated in September, as well. The reason for this can be found in Section II, Article XVI, paragraph IX of the Canadian Constitution, which reads: "The US might get angry if we recognize May Day."